Commun ty Matters Manor of the Plains
8 ways to pay for long-term care without buying insurance By Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell Next Avenue
When H. Frances Reaves had to place her parents in long-term care in 2014 and 2015, she thought it would be a relative easy, at least financially. After all, her parents had bought long-term care insurance decades earlier. But there were two unpleasant surprises: The policy had a 90-day elimination period, so it wouldn’t start paying until three months after Reaves’ parents were admitted. And it only paid for two years of care. The challenge then became how the family would manage to pay for any long-term care the policy didn’t cover. “I knew Mom would outlive the policy,” said Reaves. Her mother, Charlotte, lived three years in a retirement community for patients with dementia. Her father, Hal, passed away after 20 months in a nearby retirement community. Reaves founded Parent Your Parents after her experience and now advises others to plan wisely for potential long-term care costs. That’s because about a third of people who enter a retirement community stay there for one to three years; roughly a quarter are there for more than three years. CARE, continued on page 3
July 2018
Older American’s Month celebrated with glitz and glam To celebrate Older American’s Month in May, we (literally) rolled out the red carpet and threw a week-long event of superstar status. “We recognize Older American’s Month every year with a different theme we haven’t done before. Ever since I started working in activities, I always wanted to do some type of elegant night where the residents could dress like movie stars. I never knew what to do to get it all going. So, this year, I thought, ‘I’m just going to do it,’” said Jacque Soltero, activities director for healthcare.
Lorene Lais shows off her award.
The dream of hosting a Hollywood-themed event became a reality when Jacque posted on Facebook that she needed to borrow gowns for the residents to wear in order to make this happen. “A lady in Hugoton offered to bring us 40 to 50 gowns from her consignment store – some were brand new with the tags still on them!” To set the stage, Jacque decorated the main hallway with a red carpet and plastered the walls
Normalee Koenecny holds her award with pride. GLAM, continued on page 2
GLAM, continued from page 1
with “stars” — pictures of all the residents and staff. The week-long celebration started on Monday with a Hollywood scavenger hunt. Pictures of movie stars were posted around the community for residents to find and snacks included goldwrapped chocolates and red licorice. On Tuesday, residents went to the local movie theater to see “The Book Club” and played a chocolate name game. The games continued on Wednesday with wine, cheese and music performed by local students. “It was hard to find Hollywoodrelated games, so we played some interesting games the residents had never played,” said Jacque. One game, called “Stick it,” had the staff wearing a shower cap topped with shaving cream. The residents threw
Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Manor of the Plains by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at PresbyterianManors.org.
Jerry Korbe, executive director Kurt Lampe, marketing director Lisa Montoya, activity director Jacque Soltero, health care activity director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Kurt at klampe@pmma.org. Telephone: 620-225-1928 Fax: 620-225-3982 Address: 200 Campus Dr., Dodge City, KS 67801-2760
Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values. ManorOfThePlains.org
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Community Matters July 2018
John Brent holds up his award.
Jacque Soltero gives the crowd her red carpet smile.
cereal at the shaving cream to try and make it stick. Thursday night was the formal dinner and awards ceremony. Everyone came dressed up with their makeup and nails done. The evening included an elegant dinner and an awards ceremony where everyone went home a winner. “I came up with the idea to give each Alverna Cantrell waves to the paparazzi. resident an award, and staff helped come up with fun award titles,” said Jacque. Awards such as “Sleeping Beauty,” “Weather Watcher” and “Perfect Attendance at Church” were presented to all the residents. There was also a photo shoot, and pictures were taken of each resident to share with friends and family. For the finale, Friday was lookalike day where a resident and staff member dressed as twins. Jacque concluded, “It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.”
Dorothy Myers gives the camera a big smile. Like us on Facebook
Crossing an item off his bucket list Chris Kephart, below, a transportation employee, offered to let resident John, right, have a photo session with her Harley so he could scratch the experience off his “bucket list.”
CARE, continued from page 1
Meantime, according to Investment News, insurers are getting pickier about who qualifies for a long-term care policy. In 2017, 22 percent of 50- to 59-year-old applicants for traditional policies and 30 percent of 60- to 69-year-old applicants were turned down. Reaves and other experts offer these eight tips to pay for long-term care beyond simply buying a traditional long-term care insurance policy: 1. Choose the appropriate long-term care Other options include hiring a home health agency, adult day services and moving to a residential group home or an assisted living facility. 2. Withdraw money from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) The income received may qualify for a medical expense deduction. Like us on Facebook
3. Look into the Veterans Aid and Attendance program This little-known Veterans Administration offering provides up to $1,830 per month for anyone who has served as little as 90 days in the military during a time of war and up to $1,176 for a surviving spouse. 4. Search for long-forgotten whole life insurance policies and savings bonds Cashing in those old savings bonds sitting in a safety deposit box could help with long- term care expenses. 5. Activate a chronic illness rider If you or your parents own a term life or permanent life insurance policy with a chronic illness rider, you might be in luck. 6. Sell a home or get a reverse mortgage Reaves had to sell her parents’ home
to help pay for their long-term care, but if one spouse is still living in a home, a reverse mortgage might be an option to help pay expenses for the other’s long-term care. 7. Apply for Medicaid The rules for Medicaid assistance (limited to people with low incomes and assets) differ in every state and you or your parents may not qualify if substantial assets were transferred into someone else’s name during the past few years. Check with a financial adviser in your state. 8. Don’t discount your faith community Reaves said some religious affiliations and congregations have foundations for members needing help paying for long-term care. Reaves cited a client whose family applied to a religious-affiliated foundation that awarded $1,000 per month to help offset the patient’s long-term care costs. Manor of the Plains
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Manor of the Plains 200 Campus Dr. Dodge City, KS 67801-2760
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Community Matters July 2018
20th annual
Southern Gospel Concert Southern Gospel Concert featuring the Arasmith Family begins at 6:30 p.m. Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe 3231 N. 14th, Dodge City, KS Admission is a Dodge City Days lapel pin. A free-will offering will be collected before the concert. All proceeds will benefit the Good Samaritan Program. For information, contact Kurt Lampe at 620-225-1928 or klampe@pmma.org | ManorOfThePlains.org 2/28/18 10:58 AM
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